Battling Pollution with the help of Microbes:
Bioremediation is “the process of using living organisms (e.g., bacteria) to clean up oil spills or remove other pollutants from soil, water, and waste water.” This process largely rely upon the enzymatic activities of the living organisms, usually the microbes to catalyze the destruction of pollutants or their transformation to less harmful forms. Microbes are extraordinary diverse in their properties. Their environment restoration activity is highly based upon factors like ambient environmental conditions, composition of the microbial community, nature and amount of the pollutant present in that particular area. Other factors include pH., temperature, lack of nutrients and molecular oxygen. (2)
There are three categories of pollutants;
• Organic pollutants: these are naturally occurring in the environment and are catabolized by the micro flora of the region naturally.
• Xenobiotics: these are substances which are entirely foreign to an entire biological system i.e. artificial substances, which did not exist in nature before their synthesis by humans.
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They are continuously exposed to more and more obstinate xenobiotic (strange, foreign agent/chemical) compounds into the environment. The index of xenobiotic compounds released in the environment are increasing as the industrialization is gaining strength exponentially. It is very essential to combat this pollution for the substance of better future. Like other living organisms, microbes have a high quality of adaptability. Naturally living in such highly polluted environment these microbes are getting used to these compounds and adapting certain changes within their structure that renders them not only survival in harsh conditions but also they are found to be helpful in bio remediation of certain chemicals. The catalytic prospective of microbes is colossal. This has proved to be advantageous for humans to restore back the
Hunting nightmare bacteria Answer the following questions Case of Addy (the girl from Arizona ) 1- Based on the pediatrician observations what was Addy’s diagnosis at the Pediatric Hospital intensive care unit ? She had got infected by staff or positive bacteria called Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). MRSA is a community associated bacteria that infects kids when they are playing in playing ground and getting scabs on their knee. They spread through that wound and it has very high resistance to antibiotics.
The author starts by explaining the human microbiome and the research on it. For many years, biologists thought that the human body was able to perform all of its important functions by itself. However, in the past decade, they have found that the human body contains trillions of microorganisms that help with these important processes. In fact, they outnumber human cell 10 to one. At first, microbe research was only focused on harmful pathogens, but recently, biologists have figured out what the most common bacteria in the human body are, and have been trying to figure out the specific functions of theses microorganisms.
Introduction Our world is composed of many bacteria’s’ that can either help or destroy us. Therefore, its’s imperative to learn and study them. The purpose of the lab was to put into action the methods that have been learned in the laboratory to determine our unknown bacteria. Bacteria’s can have different features, shapes, and or arrangements that help microbiologist determined their role in our life (whether they are good or bad for humans).
Although microscopic single-celled organisms inhabited earth long before humans evolved from their primate ancestors, they continue to coexist and coevolve with humans today, flourishing as both harmless and deadly companions. Within her literary work Deadly Companions: How Microbes Shaped Our History, microbiologist Dorothy Crawford begins with a dramatic account of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the first pandemic of the twenty-first century. Crawford travels back in time four billion years ago to the origin of microbes, recounting the evolutionary history of microbes, showing how microbes spread and cause epidemics, and revealing how coevolution yields host resistance. Furthermore, Crawford explores the intertwining history of microbes and humans, with the purpose to reveal the link between the emergence of microbes and the cultural development of man.
Being able to identify unknown microbes from systematic testing is what makes the field of microbiology so important, especially in infectious disease control. Using the testing procedure laid out by the microbiology field we are able to identify unknown bacteria present in our everyday lives, and along the way learn a lot about their characteristics that separate them from other types of bacteria. Being able to do this is vital in order for us to understand why microbes are present in certain places, how they are able to grow and what restricts their growth, that way they can be combatted if necessary. These techniques for determining unknowns are also important for isolating and testing infectious disease microbes in order to prevent spreading. Another important aspect of being able to identify unknown microbes is the
The putrid smell of Escherichia coli is one that is immediately identifiable to the few lucky individuals who recognize its scent. It is also an aroma with which I became intimately sensitive to as I shuttled petri dishes of the bacterium in and out of an incubator. While my classmates shied away from the task of handling the pungent bacteria used in our recombinant DNA experiments, I took to the task eagerly, anything that would take me one step closer to my goal of researching. I had the opportunity to learn about lab techniques and cutting edge biology concepts the summer before my junior year, in an extracurricular biotechnology class at Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development. The class, a three week crash course in the
Escherichia Coli 0157: H7 This paper will specialize on a specific type of bacterial foodborne illness caused by the bacteria Escherichia Coli. E. coli was discovered by Theodore von Escherich in 1885. E.coli is a natural found bacteria that lies throughout the intestinal tract of warm blooded animals and comes in many forms only one of which is deadly. This form is E. coli 0157:H7 which can be caused by direct exposure to fecal matter to kill this rouge
Water Pollution is a huge environmental problem that has serious effects on marine habitats, animals, and water quality. BP1: The world's marine habitat has been getting worse because of how bad the pollution has gotten. “ Over 80% of marine pollution comes from land based activities “ (source 5 ). This quote explains how most of the water pollution is caused by human activity. “ Plastic litter does not degrade, can be expected to last in the oceans for hundreds of years “ ( source 6 ).
Microbes were the first organism to occupy the Earth. They are a group of the smallest organisms and are single cellular organisms. Microbes are becoming important in areas such as biochemistry, genetics, agriculture and medicine. They are also important decomposers. One example, of a microbial life is the prokaryotes called bacteria.
The topic of this research paper will cover over Ocean Acidification and the effects on marine ecosystems. Ocean acidification is the decrease in pH levels of the Earth 's oceans, due to overbearing carbon dioxide being brought by the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide is drawn by seawater, where the chemical reactions take place, which minimize the pH levels in the ocean, the carbonate levels and the important calcium carbonate which these sea creatures need. When carbon dioxide disperses in this ocean, it causes the levels of acidity to rise towards the the surface, where most shell growth in marine animals have been stopped and has created the cause of reproductive disorders in multiple fish. Part of the problem with ocean acidification is human activity.
Usually, the microbial enzymes have various potential uses in industries and medicine. The microbial enzymes are also more reliable than plant and animal enzymes as they are more stable and active. Also the microorganisms demonstrate an alternative source of enzymes because they can be cultured in large quantities in a short time by fermentation and owing to their biochemical diversity and susceptibility to gene manipulation. Industries are looking for new microbial strains in order to produce different enzymes to fulfil the current enzyme
Pollution is the introduction or release of substances or energy that decrease the quality of the marine environment. Many pollutants are toxic of harmful to marine life (Castro and Huber, 2010). South Africa is known around the world for being one of the most diverse marine environment in the world, with 83% of the known fish families residing in South Africa (Van der Elst, 2007). There are also many marine species that are endemic to South Africa, which means they are only found in South Africa. Almost 30% of the South African population lives on the coastline (Taljaard et al. 2006), which has led to the urbanization of the coastlines and which then led to the industrialization of these areas.
• Pollution: Pollution of air, water and soil require millions of years to recoup. Industry and motor vehicles exhaust are the number one pollutants. Heavy Metals, nitrates and plastic are toxins for pollution. While water pollution is caused by oil spill, acid rain, urban runoff; air pollution is caused by various gases and toxins
What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetically Modified Foods? Genetically modified (GM) foods are organisms that have had new genes added to themselves from other organisms. Being around since 1994, they are produced in a way that is very similar to genetic engineering. The technique used in this type of crop management has been introduced to ensure farmers and merchants are able to improve crop or food quality in a more efficient way.
There are many different types of air pollutants that are introduced into the air such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and, nitrogen dioxide. Moreover, pollutants fall under the two categories: primary pollutants and secondary pollutants. Primary pollutants are gases or particles like intentionally emitted from human behavior, for example: vehicles exhausts emit